Mary Shelly's 'Frankenstein'

Paper Summary:

This essay critically reviews Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein' through a consideration of some of the historical elements pertaining to the novel's creation. The writer also considers the type of love relationships that occur throughout the novel. Some reflection is also given to the cultural, social and religious views of the era, including the way in which women were perceived within society. In addition, the writer discusses the current trends and prevailing attitudes that are portrayed throughout this classic tale of human desires and relationships. The writer concludes that it is evident that the two main characters, that of Victor and that of his creation, are two beings that are driven to extreme; revealing with incredible simplicity what can result from a neglect of psycho-social responsibility and the need for all beings to be accepted for who, and what, they fundamentally are.

Outline:
Introduction
The Man Who Played God
An Historical Perspective
The Theme of Relationships
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Victor was raised in a loving Swiss family, in which he enjoyed a particularly close relationship with Elizabeth, an adopted cousin, and his friend Henry Clerval, who consequently joined him at university. The knowledge of having created a hideous monster, however, caused Frankenstein to fall ill, and as his friend Henry seeked to nurse him back to health, the monster was left to wander around trying to find human friendship. After having encountered several rejections from humans, the monster became afraid of people and lived near a cottage where he observed the culture and the life of the surrounding society. It was, therefore, through this that he came to understand that not only was he was different, but that no one would ever accept him because of his apparent affliction, and this, thus, began the tragic events that eventually led him to committing murder as he seeked his revenge against the man that had given him life."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Jane Goodall - author. Frankenstein and the Reprobate's Conscience. Journal Title: Studies in the Novel. Volume: 31. Issue: 1. Publication Year: 1999. Page Number: 19. COPYRIGHT 1999 University of North Texas; COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group
• Kenneth Branagh, director of 'Mary Shelley's Frankenstein', as quoted in Reelviews.net. Online Article, 1994. Information retrieved 07/23/2007.< http://www.reelviews.net/movies/m/mary_shellys.html>
• Laura P. Claridge, 'Studies in the Novel', 1985. Denton, Texas.
• Stuart Peterfreund - author. 'Composing What May Not Be "Sad Trash": A Reconsideration of Mary Shelley's Use of Paracelsus in Frankenstein'. Journal Title: Studies in Romanticism. Volume: 43. Issue: 1. Publication Year: 2004. Page Number: 79+. COPYRIGHT 2004 Boston University; COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group
• Shelly, Mary Wollstonecraft, 1797 - 1851. Online Article, 1831. Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library. Information retrieved 07/23/2007.< http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=SheFran.sgm&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&tag=public&part=front>

More papers on Mary Shelly's 'Frankenstein':

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